Accepting the Truth
by missdallywinston
Summary: Aria jumped a little and snapped her head up from her lap. Her breath hitched in her throat and she gasped for air. She didn't want this – him – to be real. She didn't want her visiting him in jail for attempted murder to be a reality. She wanted to go back to the nice reality of cuddling and old movies, but that reality, that was now a complete fantasy, was circling the drain.


**(A/N): This is just a short/ actually long one shot inspired by the slight spoilers of 4x24, A is for Answers. Read and Review! Enjoy!**

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_Detective Tanner and Detective Holbrook were heading up to the building as each girl whispered harshly to one another._

_"We have to get Alison out of here!" Hanna explained frantically, glancing at her friends who were scattered around Ezra's apartment. The girls, including Alison, all met up and then traveled to Ezra's home. They were really searching for anything and everything. Evidence, a hoodie, Ezra himself…_

_Aria had found out that Ezra was involved heavily about five days ago. She had a steady seventy two hour period of crying, screaming, and breaking down, but now, that was over. Now, she just wanted answers. Answers of why he could secretly be so terrible. Answers of how much he had done. Answers of if he ever truly loved her._

_The footsteps of the detectives got louder and Spencer could hear bits of the conversation from the hall. She didn't know why they were here, or why they were coming, but she had a feeling it was the same reason her and her friends had came. Answers. However, Spencer felt like the detectives weren't looking for them. Potential headlines flashed through Spencer's head – "Rosewood Teens help Rosewood Stalker Escape by Diminishing Evidence." "Rosewood Teens Kidnap Psycho Teacher." "Rosewood Teen Actually Alive."_

_Spencer pulled herself out of her trance and rushed to where Emily and Alison were standing, "Alison, you need to get out of here! Try the fire escape, we'll meet you on the roof." Alison started to leave as her other friends got rid of any evidence that they were there. It took longer than expected and Emily heard Linda Tanner's voice._

_"Gabriel, is it 3C or 3B?"_

_Holbrook flipped the note he had in his hand over, "3B."_

_Emily could tell that everyone heard the same thing. Aria lead the way to the fire escape and they all leapt onto the too-small balcony. While crawling up the rusty ladder towards the roof, high pitched scream rang out and was echoed with an ear drum shattering pop. _

_Hanna clutched Aria's hand and mumbled, "Was that a…"_

_"Gun," Spencer interrupted, continuing up the ladder quickly. The girls followed and moments later, they were on the roof of Ezra's apartment complex. Alison's limp body was lying on the cold, hard cement and Emily screamed. Each girl rushed to their friend's crumpled up body and let out a sigh of relief when they realized Alison was still alive._

_"Somebody call 911!" Spencer screeched._

_As each girl keeled over Alison's bleeding, but still alive body, Aria turned and looked around nervously. What if they were somehow charged for hurting Alison? It wasn't totally unlikely. But as Aria turned more to the left, her breath got caught in her throat and she began hyperventilating. Tears filled her eyes as he made eye contact with her. Aria, who was still holding hands with Hanna, squeezed the blonde's hand tightly as she made a yelping noise. _

_Standing ten feet away was the devil in disguise himself. Ezra was shock still with an object in his hand. As the object caught the light, the girls, who were now all realizing who was there, saw it shine. It was a gun. The gun._

_Aria fumed and was about to run at Ezra and push him over the edge of the building, but she was interrupted. The roof entrance door flung open with the detectives charging through it._

_Ezra's jaw dropped more and he tossed the gun to the side. He stumbled backward and decided to try to run, but there was nowhere he could go. There was no escape. Well, he could leap off the roof and kill himself, but he wouldn't go that far. _

_Gabriel Holbrook was now at his side exclaiming, "Ezra Fitz, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Alison DiLaurentis. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law…"_

_As Aria listened, her stomach dropped. Ezra struggled against the detectives grasped and was shouting "no" repeatedly. Aria now had tears pouring down her small face. Aria always knew there was a chance of seeing Ezra cuffed, due to their scandalous relationship, but never for the attempted murder of her "dead" best friend._

_Meanwhile, more cops and paramedics arrived and were carrying Alison out on a stretcher, yelling into walkie talkies. Aria's legs went out from under her and she fell into Spencer's arms. There was no way this was happening. _

**Two Months Later**

It was Valentine's Day afternoon in Rosewood and Aria felt anything but loved. Ezra had been arrested for Alison's attempted murder a week before Christmas. His trial was in a couple of weeks and from what she read in newspapers, his chances of being declared innocent didn't look so good.

Aria and her friends, sans Alison, all had to be there as witnesses. But Alison's lawyer wanted Aria to testify more than the other girls. The defendant, Ezra Fitz, was supposedly pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. The lawyer wanted Aria to testify and say that Ezra never, ever acted insane in the majority of their time together.

Aria knew Ezra wasn't insane, and knew that Ezra knew that as well. She couldn't pin point why he was saying he was. But, Aria wouldn't exactly say that he was not guilty, but something in Aria's head just couldn't imagine him shooting Alison. She just couldn't picture it.

But, she hadn't come up with another explanation other than he was maybe framed. But by who?

Aria sighed and opened up her laptop. An idea had been voicing itself in her mind for the last few weeks, but Aria didn't know if she could actually do it. Aria shrugged out her lack of confidence and typed into her internet browser.

Instantly, she was met with the information she needed and grabbed her coat. She had four hours to get there and get in.

Standing outside the county jail, Aria couldn't quite remember why she had come all the way. Finally, she mustered up the nerve to walk inside. Stepping through the doors, she was not so kindly greeted by a chubby cop. After a few moments of awkward silence, the cop asked, "Who are you here for?"

Aria gulped and answered, "Ezra Fitz. He's allowed visitors, right?" The officer checked a sheet of paper and nodded. He pushed a clip board toward her and ordered her to sign in. She felt dirty and sick as she signed in as a visitor. Once she was done signing her name on a sheet, he thoroughly searched her and took her purse and phone.

Once he was done, he talked into his walkie talkie as it made a twitching noise. "We've got a visitor for Fitz. Bring him down in a minute."

He hung up and led Aria into a dim room. She felt a lump in her throat as she saw a row of parallel chairs with a slate of glass separating each of them. "Sit in a booth. They're bringing him down," the guard explained.

Aria nodded and sat down. The guard walked off and she started chewing on her thumbnail. She wasn't ready for this. The last time she saw him was on a TV screen with the words "attempted murderer" underneath his name. The time before that, he was holding the gun that almost killed Alison. And the time before that, was when she found out he was Boardshorts and that he was A. Was she really ready to add "Ezra in an orange jumpsuit in jail" to that list?

As Ezra fiddled with the tight, restricting hand cuffs, he thought of all the people who he could be presented in front of in a matter of seconds.

His mother had found out about her son's doings, and from what Ezra heard, he seriously doubted Dianne Fitzgerald would be behind the glass. It could be Wesley, but again, he seriously doubted it. It could be someone bizarre like Byron to tell him off (Byron seemed like he was always ready to) or Toby for everything Ezra had done to Spencer.

His mind kept going back to one person, though. That person was Aria. He knew that she must hate him and would gladly send him off to men's prison, but a small part of him knew that she was still madly in love with him and would do anything to get him out of jail. Hell, that part of him figured Aria already had an escape plan ready to go for him. But that part of Ezra was only a smidgen of hope. It wouldn't be her. And he'd probably never see her face again. And if he did, he would probably also see her dainty hands slapping him hard across the face.

But when Ezra saw Aria Montgomery sitting on the other side of the glass window, he realized the whole time – not just when he mentally ticked potential visitors off in his mind, but their whole relationship – that he never should have doubted her. This was the girl who always took matters into her own hands and thought with her heart, certainly not her brain.

He would have been amused by seeing Aria, who was clearly a little out of it due to this venture, start talking to him without picking up the phone, but she wasn't even looking at him. No, she was focused intently on her chewed fingernails that were resting securely in her lap. Out of curiosity, he reached for the phone on his side of the glass and held it to his ear. He didn't even know if she had noticed him being there, so he gently knocked on the glass between them.

Aria jumped a little and snapped her head up from her lap. Her breath hitched in her throat and she gasped for air. She didn't want this – him – to be real. She didn't want her visiting him in jail for attempted murder to be a reality. She wanted to go back to the nice reality of cuddling and old movies, but that reality, that was now a complete fantasy, was circling the drain.

She noticed the guard a few feet away from Ezra while she grabbed the phone off the hook. He was staring into space and Aria wondered if he was actually going to listen in or if he really just couldn't be bothered. Ezra cleared his throat on the other end and Aria, finally, turned her attention to him.

Aria took in his appearance. His skin was eerily pale thanks to the bright orange color he was sporting. He looked like he hadn't eaten a good meal in weeks, which he probably hadn't. He had bags under his eyes, due to lack of sleep. Ezra basically looked like a puppy who had been kicked too many times, and Aria couldn't blame him. Jail was probably hell compared to the cozy apartment Ezra was used to.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" Ezra asked blatantly.

Aria inhaled deeply and looked back at her fingers. She creased her brow as she chipped off a piece of flaky nail polish. A few seconds ticked on and Aria didn't answer.

Ezra sighed, "You only have thirty minutes to visit."

Nothing.

Ezra let a few more seconds pass by before turning to his guard, ready to ask to return to his bunk. A second before he did, though, he glanced back at Aria briefly. She looked like a mess and like she hadn't relaxed in three months. Thinking about the timeline of events, Ezra concluded that he was right about that. He breathed in and out steadily as he looked at her, taking in every little thing about her. This was probably one of the last times he would ever see her face this close up.

He opened his mouth to signal the guard, but Aria made a tiny noise. Ezra readjusted in his chair and looked at her.

"I miss you," she muttered, fighting back sobs.

Ezra's jaw dropped slightly before he responded, "I'm sorry, Aria." She looked up at him with mascara dripping down her cheeks. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Aria let out a sad smile, "I would hope not."

"Is this," Ezra started, "about anything special? Or just to visit?"

Aria shrugged, "I needed to see you. But I guess I have a few questions too." After a pregnant pause, Aria added, "You can't avoid questions this way."

"I probably wouldn't have avoided questions anyway."

Aria raised her eyebrows and bit her tongue. Twenty six minutes. "Look, Ezra, I don't know why you're pleading insanity, but I decided that I'm not going to testify against you… I just can't. I never wanted you to end up in prison." Aria chuckled lightly, but nothing was funny. "I wouldn't have expected you to be in prison over _this_."

Ezra swallowed hard and tugged on his pained wrists lightly. "Thank you for not testifying. And the insanity plea wasn't my idea. It's just my lawyer's. I wanted to plead not guilty."

Aria only stared at him so Ezra continued, "I'm not guilty. Aria, I promise I didn't hurt Alison. Either times."

"You were there!" Aria said a little louder than necessary. "You stared straight at me with the gun in your hands!"

"It wasn't me. I'd tell you who but it's not safe," Ezra confirmed. "The second everything's okay, I'll tell you everything you should know."

Aria twisted a ring around her finger and looked down at the tiled floor, "Can you tell me a few things now?"

Ezra looked weary, but nodded a little. "It depends, but I can try."

Aria let precious minutes tick away as tears streamed down her face. She blinked the remaining tears away and looked at Ezra. He felt guilt tugging at his heart strings seeing her soaked face. "Aria, are you okay?"

Aria ignored his question and asked hers. "Do you – did you – love me? Like, do you love me now? Did you love me then? Did you ever really love me or was it all a lie?"

This was her question. It wasn't who pushed Ian off the bell tower. It wasn't how A started. It wasn't who killed Wilden and Garrett. It was if Aria's love was reciprocated by Ezra in those seemingly fake two years.

"Aria, I want you to hear me when I say this," Ezra said. "I love you now. I've loved you since B-26. Nothing between us was fake. I never thought of Ali or A or anything when I was with you. I know I really screwed this up, but the last thing I want you to think is that I don't love you. I love you so, so much. This is most likely going to be the last time we speak, so please remember that Aria. I love you."

Aria felt butterflies in her stomach, but cursed herself. "Thank you for that. I needed that."

"Do you still love me?" Ezra muttered, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Not half as much as I used to," Aria said softly, feeling more tears trail down her face.

Ezra's eyes brimmed with tears, but he knew it was his own damn fault. Nineteen minutes. "How are you?" Ezra asked, changing the subject.

"I've been better. A lot better. The girls are trying to help me, but they just don't get it. They don't get why I can't just let you go," Aria responded, shocking both Ezra and herself on how comfortable she was talking to him about everyday life.

"I'm glad you can't let me go," Ezra smiled. "Aria, does anyone know you're here?"

"No, and I plan on keeping it that way. I'd get so much of the third degree if I said anything."

A few more minutes went by of half-hearted banter and finally Aria and Ezra both sighed and looked at each other. Eight minutes.

"Ezra, if you didn't shoot Ali…"

"Aria," Ezra interrupted. "I really can't say anything right now."

Aria gave him a puppy dog look and Ezra lolled his head back. "CeCe was on the roof. She threw the gun at me and then ran down a different exit."

Aria gasped, "Ezra, you have to tell someone! Tell your lawyer! Tell a detective!"

"CeCe could get me killed for letting it slip. You could get killed for knowing!"

"Please," Aria scoffed, "I can handle CeCe."

Ezra gave her a warning glance, but a cop interrupted them. "Five minutes."

Aria clenched her jaw, "Do you want me to come back? Visit again, maybe?"

Ezra smiled, "If you want to. I've only got a couple more weeks until the trial. Thank you for coming, though."

Aria grimaced. She mentally kicked herself for coming and talking to him, but she just couldn't stand the thought of him being shipped off to prison and the last memory of their relationship was looking at each other over a deadly weapon.

And honestly, over the last weeks, Aria just couldn't deny how much she loved him. Yeah, he lied, but who was she to judge? Who was anyone she knew to judge? They got over Jackie and Maggie, why couldn't they get over Alison, as well? Aria knew, though, if Ezra did get found innocent, if they were to start up a relationship, it would be shaky.

But when had any of their relationships not started out shaky? As long as they both loved each other, this could work. Aria cautiously even wanted it to. Aria didn't know how to not be with Ezra. Aria didn't want to know how to not be with Ezra. She hated being codependent, but the sooner she accepted that she was, the better. And in that moment, she decided she was okay with that fact, as long as Ezra was the one she depended on; after all they were soul mates.

Two minutes remained and Aria grinned, "You know what day it is?"

Ezra only creased his eyebrows together in response.

"It's Valentine's Day."

Ezra laughed sadly, "Too bad we can't celebrate."

"Next year," Aria assured. Ezra opened his mouth to say that there wouldn't be a chance then either, but decided against it.

"See you soon?" Ezra asked.

Aria nodded, "Maybe Thursday or Wednesday."

"Alright… thank you for coming. And, if I am found guilty – "

"Ezra," Aria interrupted. She didn't want to have the last seconds of their visit be painful.

"Let me finish. If I am found guilty, visit me there? And write me. You know how much I love your writing."

Aria shook her head and grinned, "I'd say yes, but no. We're gonna get you out of here."

Ezra sighed and glanced at the clock. One minute.

"I love you."

Aria hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Yeah, I love you too."

"Times up," the guard barked, heading towards Ezra's seat. Ezra quickly spoke into the phone, "Aria, I'm sorry again. I love you."

The guard now yanked him up and put the phone back in its cradle. Aria mouthed "it's okay" into the glass and smiled. And just like that, Ezra was gone and she was only staring at her distorted reflection in the glass. She hated loving him, but had finally decided to just accept. And she actually did.


End file.
